We Helped Launch Veterans' Gateway

In April a consortium of military charities, including The Royal British Legion, launched Veterans' Gateway - a first point of contact for veterans and their families to access information, advice and support on a range of issues including healthcare, housing, and employment.

Paul Wheeler Ran Unsupported Across America

In May Army veteran Paul Wheeler set off on a mammoth journey, running 3000 miles, solo and unsupported across America to fund raise for The Royal British Legion.

Celebrating The Role of Women in The Armed Forces

On 7 July more than 1,000 women attended The Royal British Legion’s ‘Women at War 100’ event at the National Memorial Arboretum, marking the centenary of the formation of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and celebrating 100 years of women in the military.

Inviting People to View WW1 In a New Way

A hundred years on from the Battle of Passchendaele, we invited people to discover how the battle unfolded and experience what life was like on the front line through immersive 360 videos. Created in partnership with historian Dan Snow, the videos let viewers travel back to 1917 through first-hand audio accounts, diary excerpts, archive film and photos.

Our Count Them In campaign also made progress with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirming their intention to recommend the inclusion of a question on the Armed Forces community in the next census in England and Wales. The Legion welcomes this development and now looks to the Government to support the ONS’s recommendation in its census white paper. We also look forward to progress being made on recognising the Armed Forces community in the censuses in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Recreating 'In Flanders Fields'

Poppy Pound

We also launched our Poppy Pound campaign, inviting people to donate all their old pound coins to the Poppy Appeal.

Jeffery Long Walking Challenge Goes Viral

During the Poppy Appeal Jeffrey Long, a former soldier, set out to raise £1,000 for The Royal British Legion by walking 86 miles for his 86thbirthday. However, after a member of the public posted his story on Facebook it was picked up by comedian Jason Manford, and Jeffrey went to raise over £120,000.

Why I wear my Poppy

During Remembrance we asked the nation to Rethink Remembrance by recognising the sacrifices made by the Armed Forces community, past and present. We asked members of our Armed Forces community what the poppy means to them.

Leading The Nation In Remembrance

On 11 November our annual Festival of Remembrance took place at the Royal Albert Hall. In the In the presence of Her Majesty The Queen and members of the Royal Family, Emeli Sande, Tom Odell, Melanie C, Alfie Boe and Lesley Garrett perform alongside The Queen’s Colour Squadron and The Band of HM Royal Marines